There will be no quarterback competition in Montreal this season, but Alouettes head coach Jason Maas still believes that his organization has something to offer new backup Dustin Crum.
“I think every quarterback coming here understands that you’re going for other positions than number one. But the best part about Davis (Alexander), about Cody (Fajardo), about the starters I’ve always been around is they don’t ever believe that. They always go in saying I’ve gotta compete too, and no matter what, nothing’s gonna be given to me. That’s the type of guys we have in our room,” Maas told the Montreal media this week.
“I think it’s still a great opportunity for anybody to come in here and play for an organization that I believe is up there at the top with everybody culturally — how we do things, how we handle our players, the progressions of what we teach. You’re gonna get something out of being here, and you’re gonna add value to it.”
Crum signed with the Alouettes in CFL free agency, inking a one-year deal worth $140,000 in hard money. He arrives with the understanding that the team already has a franchise quarterback in budding star Davis Alexander, who helped propel the team to a Grey Cup berth last season.
However, few organizations understand better than Montreal the importance of a quality insurance policy. In his first season as the anointed starter, Alexander was forced to miss 10 games due to a nagging hamstring injury. McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Caleb Evans, and James Morgan were all forced into action at different spots and struggled to varying degrees, but did enough to keep the team afloat.
None of that trio is returning in 2026, leaving Crum as the lone experienced backup if disaster should strike again.
“The supportiveness and being there for the next guy is what our quarterback room is really all about,” Maas said. “They have to understand, and Dustin, I think, gets this, that we’ve won with our backup quarterbacks the last couple of years. That’s one of the reasons we’ve stayed competitive when our starters have gone down, is because of how prepared that guy is, the next guy is, the next man up. You need that in our league.”
Crum has spent the past three seasons in Ottawa, where he was immediately thrust into action as a rookie in 2023. The Grafton, Ohio, native made 14 starts that season for the Redblacks, winning three of them while throwing for 3,109 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also rushed 97 times for 741 yards and nine scores.
After being used primarily as a short-yardage option in 2024, the 27-year-old was called upon to grab the wheel once again in 2025. He made six starts in place of an injured Dru Brown and won two of them, completing 70.9 percent of his passes for 1,771 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions. The Kent State product also ran 78 times for 429 yards and 11 touchdowns.
A former backup himself, Maas believes Crum has the requisite intangibles to thrive while playing second fiddle.
“Competitiveness, I can say that. When I watched Dustin play over the last couple of years in Ottawa, that guy competes on every single play. That’s the competitive nature he has, which fits very well to what we are. I love his poise in the pocket — I think he worked a lot on that, I can see improvements from that — and then he is tough as it comes,” Maas said.
“He’s been an accurate quarterback, being able to throw. I know what he’s done in college as well, which is a bigger piece that you get to see. But as far as the CFL, I love the competitiveness, the toughness that he’s shown, mentally and physically, because it’s hard when you’re not winning a ton of games, and you’re not the guy every single week, and you’re having to come in and out of the lineup. That takes a lot of mental toughness. To be able to see it, and I’ve seen him win games on the road, which is never easy to do, I just love those attributes that he’s possessed.”
In a perfect world, the Alouettes will never have to test Crum’s attributes, but knowing they have someone with experience coming off the bench provides peace of mind. Even if he never leaves the sidelines, Maas feels the relationship will be mutually beneficial.
“It’s not just a backup — you’re gonna have a place on our team, and feel good about that. I think that’s what excites Dustin, having talked to him,” he said. “He knows he’s gonna get developed, he knows he’s still an important piece of what we do, and ultimately, it’s his job to be ready for it.”
